This week, Yuliana is joined by Patricia Ruiz, the owner of three Pilates Studios in New York City called Moving Strength. A lifetime dancer, Patricia has performed and toured with some of New York City's most renowned dance companies, has choreographed Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and continues to judge dance competitions throughout the country. She is also certified as a Personal Trainer through the American Council of Exercise (ACE),  and holds certifications in Pilates, Power Plate, Yoga, Resist-a-Ball and Healthy Moms Perinatal training. In today’s episode, she discusses her journey from Manhattan, Kansas to Manhattan, New York, and her inspiring story of caring for her dying brother, raising her daughters, and building a business.

The episode begins with Patricia recounting her experience of caring for her dying brother for 5 years when he was diagnosed with cancer. She then takes us back to the time she graduated from college and moved to Manhattan, New York, and got an apartment in a week due to her determined nature. She also discusses those times when caring for her brother and handling other responsibilities became overwhelming and also the beautiful moments that made it all worth it. Throughout the episode, Patricia highlights lessons from her brother and how his advice always gave her great insights into life, and she finishes up by sharing details about coping with his death, how yoga helped her, offering advice to those who hope to be entrepreneurs, and, of course, choosing a song that describes her life - to be forever young at heart.

Episode Highlights:

-   Patricia recounts the challenging event that redirected the course of her life.

-   How caring for her terminally ill brother impacted her life.

-   Her journey as a professional dancer.

-   Patricia’s nature before her brother’s illness.

-   What fuels Patricia’s ambitions - a combination of nature and nurture.

-   Braving the world as a young graduate.

-   The moment it all became overwhelming.

-   How her brother’s wisdom changed her daily habits.

-   Setting boundaries without guilt.

-   Coping with grief and how grief shapes you.

-   How to cope with anxiety and stress - the key to which is Yoga

-   Patricia’s advice for entrepreneurship

-   Navigating the business during COVID-19

-   The song that best describes Patricia’s life

Quotes:

“I was doing everything I was doing, but with extreme anxiety and stress, and everything was detrimental.”

“You only have right now and you get to live right now.”

“Everybody has their ups and downs, but the reality is just to open your eyes and see what's going on. It's not that big of a deal.”

“I think that my drive was more of not letting my natural talents or gifts go to waste.”

“You can do anything you want at any point in life.”

“As long as I could get to do what I like to do, I could handle the rest.”

“Wait, just stop and look, there's so much beauty around us. ”

“I can't do anything unless I, myself, the vessel, is taken care of.”

“This is my hour, I'm turning off my phone, and I have to take care of me. Everything else can wait.”

“Asking for help is actually a sign of strength.”

“If I keep putting it off, I'm not guaranteed another day.”

“If it all falls apart, it's okay, because when I come back, I'll just rebuild whatever I have to, but I'm going to do this for me.”

“Why do you have to be a harsh, bitter adult?”

“Biggest thing I have learned is to not put boundaries around yourself.”

Links:

Phoenix Tales Homepage

Phoenix Tales on Instagram

Phoenix Tales on Spotify

Phoenix Tales on Facebook

Moving Strength Homepage

Moving Strength Instagram